Desperate Hours

History has seen volcanoes wipe out oncefamous cities and they can still be a threat to the cities of today Take a look at the destructive force of volcanoes and examine the recurring eruptions on the Caribbean island of Montserrat that devastated half its inhabitable area the 1973 eruption on the Icelandic island of Heimaey and the supervolcano in Yellowstone among others around the world

Earthquakes are powerful destructive forces that can leave cities demolished in ruins Take a look at the lethal intensity of earthquakes including the 2015 Kathmandu earthquake in Nepal the 2008 Sichuan earthquake in China where an estimated 10000 children were trapped in collapsed school buildings a 1960 Puerto Mont earthquake in Chile and more devastating quakes from around the globe

In recent decades major epidemics have sent affected countries into a complete standstill Take a look at some notable epidemics from around the globe such as the African Ebola outbreak in Sudan which eventually led to cases in the United State and England the Indian smallpox outbreak in Bihar the African cholera outbreak the SARS outbreak in Guanghzhou China and the bird flu of Hong Kong

Wind storms rip dangerously through cities around the world showing their devastating and sometimes deadly power Take a look at the engulfing calamity of Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans the destructive Cyclone Nargis in Myanmar the 1960 storm Hurricane Donna in Florida Tornado Joplin in Missouri Hurricane Sandy in New York and many more killer storms

Forest fires rage through cities around the world The destructive incinerating force of fires includes the Black Saturday Bushfires in Victoria Australia the Station Nightclub fire in Rhode Island the LInnovation Department Store fire in Brussels Belgium the Armoury fire in Lagos Nigeria and the Binhai New Development Zone Fire in Tianjin China

Flash floods in Brazil, the deluge that followed Hurricane Katrina and the overflow after Indian Ocean Tsunami of 2015, these are all to some extent natural phenomena.

Avalanches in Afghanistan, Pakistan and Nepal. Landslides in Colombia and Nepal. Heatwaves in the US, Europe and India. The strange business of sinkholes, including one in Bosnia. A blizzard that strikes the so-called Holy City of Israel.

Fukushima and Chernobyl nuclear disasters, Bhopal gas accident, Savar Plaza building collapse, BP oil spill.

Sewol ferry, Estonia ferry, Exxon Valdez oil spill, Titanic, Express Samina, Costa Concordia, a look into modern piracy.

Malaysia Flights MH17 and MH370, Flight 447 – France to Rio,Germanwings 9525, Disaster in Tenerife 1977, NASA Shuttles, Hercules 2015 in Medan Indonesia, Antonov 1997 in Russia, Concorde story.

Santiago de Compostella rail disaster, Pakistan road disaster, road safety in developing countries, Queen of the sea – rail disaster in Sri Lanka, Autostrada del Sole car crash, London’s rail tragedy in fog, bus crashes in Mexico, Amtrak rail accident.

Kyoto protocol, pollution on land, in the sea and in the air, deforestation and all their causes.

Iceland volcanoes, Nepal earthquake of 2015, Epidemics, Fire in Tianjin 2015, Hurricane Katrina, Tsunami 2004, Sinkholes, Fukushima power plant accident, Bhopal gas Accident, Exxon Valdez oil spill, Traffic disasters.